No Worries
by Samantha Sheffield
Summary: When the an enemy more powerful than the Turks begins showing up, Rufus is forced to hire additional help, a young woman named Juliet. However, her past is more complicated then she lets on. RufusxOC -I do not own any FFVII things-
1. Chapter 1

Rufus Shinra slid under an old blue trash bin with the paint chipping off. He peered out from under, taking in his surroundings.

He was in the Midgar ruins and he was SUPPOSED to be approving items he deemed suitable for building material in Edge. He was in what used to be an alley in the Fifth Sector. The buildings that used to stand on either side of the alley were now dilapidated, a shadow of what the great city used to be. What used to be the road was now cracked and almost gravel, puddles littering the ground.

He had been walking around with his Turks, marking everything that was acceptable for building with red spray paint, when they had been attacked. He wasn't sure who it was; they had hoods pulled up covering their faces. The only defining feature had been a red sash they wore diagonally across their chests. They weren't AVALANCHE. But they were trying to kill Rufus.

_Clunk Clunk Clunk_

Rufus pulled out his shotgun and stayed quiet as death as he saw big black heavy boots come to a stop in front of his hiding place. The blonde man desperately wished he had Dark Nation at his side, but he was dead. Rufus held his breath as the person stood in front of the dumpster, looking around.

"Do you see him?" A static filled voice said through what Rufus assumed was a walky-talky.

"Negative, sir." A deep male voice said. "He seems to ha-"

"ARRRRAAAGGHHHH!"

Rufus looked down the opposite end of the alley to see a mess of red hair running full speed down the alley, EMR drawn. The man whirled around, then took off in a run in the opposite direction.

"RENO." Rufus shouted, crawling out from under the trash bin. Reno slid to a stop in front of the blonde man.

"Sir!" he shouted. "Are you alright?"

Rufus looked down at his suit. It was covered in mud and grease. The president brushed some of the larger chunks of mud off of his jacket and looked up at the redheaded Turk.

"Where are the others?" he asked harshly.

Reno stood up straight. It was obvious Rufus was beyond pissed. "They'll meet us at the helicopter, sir."

Rufus nodded. "Straighten your damn shirt." He said, trying to keep his calm and began to make his way to the helicopter.

* * *

><p>When they arrived, Elena, Tseng, and Rude were waiting for them, keeping a sharp eye out for anymore of the assassins. Rufus brushed past them and climbed into the chopper, sitting down on a cushioned seat in the back. Everyone was silent as they took off the ground. No one dared make a sound. They didn't want to make Rufus more mad then he already was.<p>

Rufus sat quietly watching out the window, observing the landscape pass below the quickly as they made their way back to the headquarters. They finally arrived at their new building; an eight story building about a mile outside of Edge. A twenty foot brick wall surrounded the building, with outposts every thirty feet. A helipad was on top of the building, near a door that led directly to the top floor where the Turks and Rufus's office were located. Surrounding the build was a lush green garden that went partway up a hill behind the building before running into the wall. From the roof of the building, you could just barely see the new Shinra mansion, a large three story house about five miles away, nestled in between a cliff and a forest it was barely visible except to those who knew exactly where to look.

They landed on the roof and Rufus was the first to disembark from the helicopter.

"My office. Five minutes." The President said brusquely and made his way to his office.

His office was white. The carpets, the chairs, and the walls were all white. Even his computer. His desk was made of glass however. At the far end of the room, was a large window that overlooked the forest outside the wall.

Rufus took a deep breath, and then made his way to the private bathroom at back of the room. The décor in the bathroom matched that of his office. Near the door was a small closet, from which he pulled out a spare suit. He quickly changed into the suit, depositing the dirty one down a laundry chute. He ran his hand through his hair and straightened the bandage around his neck and shoulder. He had hurt his shoulder a couple years ago, and wore the gauze to help keep it in place.

He then walked out of the room and went and sat at his desk, waiting for the Turks to come. They arrived shortly after he sat down.

Rufus sat quietly watching them as they stood nervously before him.

"Why is it," he began quietly, "That my highly trained, highly honored group of Turks, did not notice the group of assassins following us? And why is it that, when they attacked, you didn't stay by my side, you all scattered?"

"Well, see we thoug-" Reno began, but Rufus cut him off.

"No. No excuses. You are hired to stay by side when I am attacked by assassins."

"Well-" The redhead was once again cut off by the blonde man.

"Maybe you four are losing your touch." Rufus sighed, rubbing his forehead as though he had a headache.

The four Turks stood quietly, exchanging looks. Reno almost spoke again, but Rude elbowed him hard in the side.

"I need someone I can count on." Rufus said finally.

"Sir, I don't thi-" Tseng began, but one glance from the President shut him up.

"I want applicants by the end of the day." Rufus said, turning away from them and moving the mouse to his computer, waking it up.

The Turks just stood there, not knowing what to do.

Rufus looked up. "That's all."

When they left, the President leaned back and rubbed his eyes. He hated yelling at his Turks. They were really his only friends in the world. It was safe to assume everyone on Gaia hated him. But the Turks stuck by his side, staying with him even after METEOR hit, hunting him down after being kidnapped and helping him build Edge. But still, this was the second time in two weeks the Turks had run off after someone, leaving him by himself with assassins in the area. Worst of all, they hadn't caught anyone.

He knew they weren't losing their touch. The other guys were just better than them. This was the reason he wanted to get someone new. He was worried. If the assassins were better than his highly trained Turks, he was in serious trouble. But he couldn't admit this to them. He couldn't look weak. His father was gone, but he could still feel him there, in the Lifestream, judging him. Pointing out when he was weak. He wouldn't allow this.

* * *

><p>Nearly two hours later, Tseng came into Rufus's office, a list in his hand.<p>

"We have found a few applicants, Mr. President." He said setting the paper down on the desk. "They're down on Level 5."

Rufus stood up and made his way towards the elevator, pressing the button for Level 5. When they arrived, he sat down behind a long table in between Elena and Reno.

"'Sup boss." The redhead said, yawning, his feet on the table.

Rufus reached over and smacked the Turk's legs, knocking them off the table. "Send them in." he said, nodding at Rude.

The tall, bald Turk nodded back, straightening his sunglasses and walked to the end of the room and opened the door. In walked a short, 40 year old man.

"Hello, sir!" he said cheerfully, bouncing across the room. "Names Billy! Billy Chang!"

Rufus blinked and stared at the little man. Half of his body mass was his belly.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>Juliet sat quietly in the waiting room of Shinra. She had been at 7th Heaven when a guard from Shinra came in saying that Rufus was looking for a body guard. She had made her way there immediately. She needed this job. She owed money to all the wrong people, and they were all after her. If she could get this job, she might make it.<p>

_And I might be able to rescue….._ She thought, and then cut herself off. It was a ridiculous thought.

Juliet glanced around the room. All of the people in it were pathetic. Old men and young children with dreams of honor, glory, and riches. They had no experience of fighting. The one person who might be a contender, had a slight limp in his right leg. They wouldn't choose him.

"Juliet Comeau?"

The girl looked up. A bald man, with sunglasses was standing in the doorway. The girl took a deep breath and stood up, making her way into the room.

* * *

><p>Rufus Shinra sat at the table, playing with a pen. So far, no one had been good. One girl actually ran away screaming from the Bandersnatch they had released for her to fight. He was beginning to think anymore searching would prove to be futile.<p>

"Woah." Reno breathed next to him, sitting up straight and making a subconscious effort to tidy up his hair and clothes. Rufus looked up, and immediately understood the redhead's reaction.

Walking towards them was a beautiful, lithe girl, about 5 foot 8 inches. She had shoulder length violet colored hair which matched her deep purple eyes. She was wearing white shorts and a spaghetti strap white tanktop. Hanging around her waist was a holster which held a weapon of some kind. As she got closer, Rufus noticed a thin scar going from the top of her right shoulder down diagonally until it disappeared under her tank top.

"Name?" Rufus asked, composing himself.

"Juliet Comeau." She replied in a rich silky voice.

"Age?"

"24."

"Relationship status?" Reno asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Fuck off." She replied, sneering at him.

Rufus smiled slightly. It wasn't often a girl didn't succumb to Reno's charm. "Weapon?"

"Gunblade."

"Alright." The President said, making a note on a piece of paper. "Are you ready?"

Juliet nodded and went to stand in the center of the room. Reno pressed the button on the wall behind his chair, and a Bandersnatch emerged from the wall. It was gone almost faster than they could blink. Rufus nodded to the redhead, and he pressed the button, releasing two more. She disposed of them quickly. IT was time for the big one. The Turk pressed the button once more, and a Behemoth emerged, roaring loudly. Juliet stumbled backwards a bit, taken aback by the monstrosity of the beast. But she composed herself quickly.

Rufus could tell by the look on her face, she was formulating an attack plan. She dodged a couple of blows, and rolled around behind the Behemoth, attacking his back. There were a few dicey moments, where she was nearly crushed, but she did a superb job. Not many people could defeat a Behemoth single handedly. Of course, this wasn't a fully developed Behemoth. It was still however, impressive.

"You're hired." Rufus said smiling.

Juliet sighed with relief and nodded. "Thank you." She said gratefully.

The blonde man stood up and made his way to the elevator. "Rude please tell everyone they may go home."

The bald man grunted and made his way out the door again.

Juliet followed Rufus and Reno onto the elevator. As she crossed over the threshold of the elevator, she tripped, falling into the President.

"Shit." She muttered looking up bashfully at the blonde man, his blue eyes looking down at her. She stood up quickly, blushing slightly. "Sorry. I- I'm a bit clumsy sometimes."

Rufus held back a smile and stepped to the side, pressing the button to the eighth floor. "No worries."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, to anyone who has read <strong>**Storm****, Yes. Storm also uses a Gunblade. However, Gunblades are my favorite. So, deal. =]**

**Anyway, this is my first Rufus Fanfic, my last one was a Reno Fanfic. Soooooooo, yeah. I hope I gain new readers and keep my old ones! And please, if you haven't read ****Storm****, please do so! However, I think this one might be better, as I'm putting much more effort into this story. =]**

**If you are reading this, THANKS! Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

Juliet Comeau sat across from the President, nervously twirling her violet hair around her finger. Rufus was sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork for her employment. She had been waiting patiently while he filled out forms and handed them to her to sign…. For two hours. It was almost eight o'clock at night. He had been asking her questions about her past, having her recount the past 15 years of her life and compiling a file on her.

Juliet held back a yawn as Rufus handed her another piece of paper to sign. The Turks had all left nearly an hour ago, which the woman was actually glad about. Reno had hit on her four more times, each time getting more and more bold. She had almost punched him, but Rufus had stepped in and told him to go home.

"Sorry for this taking so long." The blonde man said, speaking for the first time in nearly an hour. "We're almost done."

"No problem." She said, depositing the paper into a folder.

Twenty minutes later they were finally done. Rufus then stamped the cover of the folder, and attached a photo of her to the cover and placed the folder in his filing cabinet.

"Alright." Rufus said, sitting back down at his desk. "If you go down to Level 2, when you get off the elevator, go to your left. The fourth door on your right is the tailor. They should have your uniform ready."

Juliet nodded and stood up. "Yes, sir. And when do I start work?"

"Tonight. After you pick up your uniform, you may go and collect your belongings. You'll be living at the Shinra mansion from now."

"O-oh!" the girl said, her purple eyes showing their surprise.

Rufus raised his eyebrow, "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I just had no idea I'd be living at the Shinra mansion."

"You're my personal bodyguard. You'll basically be working 24/7. I'll you to be able to assist me at a moment's notice."

"Yes, sir." The violet haired girl said nodding, and made her way towards the door. "I'll be back in an hour."

When she had left, Rufus took a deep breath. Her story had been very interesting. She had trained from ages 7 to 14 to be a SOLDIER 1st class, but had ended up not joining the program for reasons she didn't share. All she had said was her parents died during the Nibelheim Incident, leaving her with responsibilities she couldn't abandon. After the Nibelheim Incident, she had moved to Wutai where she joined the City Guard, patrolling the outskirts of the city for monsters and outlaws. She had remained there until last year, when Deepground had attacked, coming to help protect people from the soldiers. And since then, she had been wandering around the Eastern Continent somewhat aimlessly.

Rufus could tell there were parts of her story she had left out. What they were, he couldn't tell. However he knew not everything she said was as it seemed. In fact, he wasn't even entirely sure Juliet Comeau was her real name. But he hadn't let on that he didn't believe some of what she said. She was a capable, experienced fighter who would serve him well. Although… She was a bit clumsy. She had tripped twice on her way to the office, aside from when they had been getting on the elevator, and had dropped her pen repeatedly, hitting her head on his desk three times when going to pick it up. However, this didn't seem to affect her fighting, so Rufus let it slide.

He wasn't sure what it was about her, but he liked her. Yes, he liked all of his employees, but he had decided right away that Juliet was his favorite. She was cheerful, not in the cocky way Reno was or the motherly way Elena was, but just in a, I-don't-give-a-fuck kind of way.

Rufus smiled at the doorway. It would be nice working with her.

* * *

><p>Juliet took a deep breath as she stepped off the elevator onto Level 2.<p>

_It's okay Juliet._ She said to herself reassuringly. _He believed everything you said. It's okay. And it doesn't matter anyway! You already have the job! Everything is fine! And better yet, You now have a safe place to live! You won't have to sleep with one eye open anymore. No one even knows where the Shinra mansion is! You are doing just fine. You'll pay off your debts, and who knows, maybe you'll even rescue-_

"Excuse me dear?" Juliet looked down to see a short little woman with grey hair piled on top of her head. She wore half-moon glasses perched at the edge of her little round nose.

"Y-yes ma'am?" the girl replied.

"Are you Juliet? Here for your uniform?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Ahh, well follow me." The little old lady led her down the hallway into a small room with black and white cloth scattered all over the room. She walked over to a wardrobe on near the door and pulled out a black suit with a tie draped over the shoulders, and handed it to Juliet. "I sent four more suits and several white dress shirts to your room at the Shinra Mansion. They'll be in your closet."

"Thank you." Juliet said, draping the uniform over her arm and walking back to the elevator. When she got in, she hesitated.

_Is there really anything I need from my apartment? All I really have are clothes._ _Although… I doubt they're providing me with pajamas…_ This made up her mind. She would go quickly and gather some sleeping clothes and toothbrush, and come straight back. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any run-ins with anyone.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later, Juliet arrived at her apartment complex. It was a rundown Midgar building actually, one that had survived METEOR, but only barely. The girl put on her sweatshirt, pulling up the hood, and grabbed her uniform. She'd change inside.<p>

Juliet got out of her car and crept up to the building. She looked around, and the stole her way up the stair and into her apartment. She felt around, and then found a flashlight on the table by her door. Looking around, she saw no one there. Quickly making her way to her room, she grabbed a duffle bag from her closet floor and began to cram some of her things inside. She quickly changed into her uniform and then looked around. She wouldn't miss this place. There were cracks in the walls and the roof leaked when it rained. The walls were an awful gaudy orange and there was awful green shag carpet on the floors. Not to mention the horrible musky smell that the apartment reeked of.

Juliet climbed out the window and walked to the edge of the balcony and frowned. Someone was lurking around her car. The violet haired girl reached back to pull up her hood, but her suit jacket didn't have a hood.

"Shit." She muttered and reached into her duffle bag, grabbing a black beanie and pulling it down over her head. Juliet slung the bag over her shoulder and walked to the side of the balcony and reached over to the rain pipe, scurrying down to the ground. She couldn't take her car back to Shinra, so she'd have to find an alternative method of transportation.

Juliet pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time. 10:06. Rufus would expect her back in about fifteen minutes. She'd never make it on foot. The girl looked around the corner of the building. There were two people there now, one under the car one looking around, probably a lookout.

_Probably cutting my brakes or something._ It was okay though. She hated the car. All the paint had worn off and it barely ran.

Quickly making her way around to the back of the building, Juliet made her way into Edge, heading toward 7th Heaven. The people who ran it were nice; maybe she could convince one of them to give her a ride back to Shinra. She wove around buildings and made her way to the center of the city, sliding to a stop across the road from 7th Heaven. The young woman peered over the window sill into the bar, she could see Cloud and Tifa standing at the counter, sharing what looked like a very mushy moment. Juliet sighed and stood up straight, making her way inside.

"Hey." Cloud said as she approached the counter, looking away from Tifa. "Juliet right?"

Juliet bobbed her head and sat down at the counter, glancing around the room. No one else was there.

"Listen, I was wondering if one of you could give me a ride somewhere." She said nervously.

Cloud stood up straight, "Where?"

"Um, Shinra?" she said, avoiding eye contact. She had heard the people at 7th Heaven complain about Shinra, she knew they were not fans of Rufus and his Turks.

The tall spikey haired man frowned. "Why?"

"I got a job there today; as Rufus Shinra's bodyguard."

He frowned even more, his blue eyes looking concerned. "Are you… Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I need the money." She said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

Tifa leaned forward, handing Juliet a glass of water. "If you need work, you could have applied here." She said kindly.

Juliet sighed, taking a sip of the water. "That's not the kind of money I need. I need… I need some serious gil."

"But-" Cloud began, but Juliet cut him off.

"You know, you don't even know me! We've talked like, once! Ugh. Never mind. I'll find another way to get there." The girl stood up, grabbing her bag and made her way toward out the door.

* * *

><p>Juliet walked down the street, keeping a careful eye out for anyone suspicious.<p>

"I can give you a ride." A deep voice said.

Juliet whirled around, to see a man in a hood, a red sash going diagonally across his chest.

"N-no thanks." She said, whirling around and running down the street. Two more of the men stepped in front of her.

"You understand why we're here don't you?" One of them said, walking towards her, sword drawn.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She said, looking around frantically for an escape. There was none. She'd have to fight.

"Oh I think you do." He said coldly.

Juliet pulled out her gunblade, and crouched into her fighting stance, ready for their attack.

* * *

><p>"Dammit, I was sleeping yo!" Reno grumbled from the passenger's seat of Rude's car. Rufus had called them a few minutes ago, asking them to find Juliet. She was supposed to be back at headquarters 20 minutes ago.<p>

"You were sleeping? At 10:40 at night?" Rude said, lowering his sunglasses to look at his partner.

"Well, with someone." The redhead replied, looking out the window.

The older Turk nodded, turning the corner. "That makes more sense."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh! There she is!"

Rude looked towards where Reno was pointing, to see Juliet standing in the middle of three men, crouched, ready for attack.

"Better go help her." Reno said, pulling out his EMR.

Rude pulled over and jumped out of the car, running down the dark street towards Juliet. However, by the time they got there, the three men had gone. Juliet stood there, hunched over, panting.

"Oh good, you scared them away." She said relieved. "Let's go."

"What was that all about?" Rude asked, frowning.

"Bad neighborhood." She replied, making her way towards the black armored car the two Turks had arrived in.

The two exchanged a look and followed her. The car ride was a bit awkward, what with Reno hitting on the violet haired girl the whole car ride. But for the most part she ignored him, occasionally laughing at some of his cheesier pick-up lines. When they got back to Shinra, Juliet hopped out of the car and gave them a cheery goodbye.

"Oh, Reno, by the way," She began, sticking her head back in the car, a small smirk on her face, "There's some lipstick on your collar."

Rude laughed as he looked over at Reno's flustered face. The redheaded Turk did indeed have lipstick on his shirt collar.

"Shut up." He muttered, slouching down in his seat.

* * *

><p>Rufus sat in his office, waiting for Juliet.<p>

10:55.

"Sorry! I had car trouble and had to walk back." She said, bursting through the doorway, stumbling over the edge of the carpet. She stumbled to a stop in front of the President's desk, biting her lip as she waited for his response.

Rufus held back his smile, struggling to keep his face neutral. Her hair was messy, and her suit disheveled, slightly resembling Reno's. Her tie was untied, hanging around her shoulders, and her cheeks were flushed. She actually looked very beautiful.

"It's fine. Just don't let it happen again."

Juliet smiled, sighing with relief and nodded.

"Alright," The blonde man said. "Let's go. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

><p><strong>Woot woot! Chapter Two! =] I hope you liked! Your reviews are appreciated! So please do so!<strong>

**Also, anyone who read ****Storm**** As you learned there, I do next to no editing, so, if there are any typos, I apologize! Also, check out aichioluv's story ****I Want To Be A Turk!**** And The Writing Artist's story ****Life Of Cissnei****. And my Reno fanfic ****Storm****. Thank youuuu! =]**


	3. Chapter 3

_Juliet raced down the grubby alleys of her village, chasing the black haired boy. He was three years older than her, but he was her best friend. _

"_HEY!" the boy shouted, running backwards with a huge grin on his face. "Keep up short stuff!"_

_Juliet took a deep breath and ran as fast as she could in his direction. He just laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with glee and took off again, heading outside of the village and scurrying up the hillside. Juliet finally caught up with him, to find him leaning against a tree, hands behind his head and his eyes closed._

"_Bout time ya got here Jewls!" he said, opening an eye. _

_The girl brushed her violet hair out of her eyes and sat down in the grass next to him. It was tall, bright green grass, still damp from the morning dew. She could feel it seeping through her shorts, making her shiver. _

"_Ewww! The grass is wet!" she cried, jumping up and brushing off her shorts. _

"_Bah! They're black shorts! You can't even tell!"_

"_Well, you are a boy! Obviously, you wouldn't care!" _

_The boy laughed, his eyes sparkling. "Hey! If you're going to join SOLDIER, you need to be able to handle wet shorts!"_

"_Yeah, yeah!" Juliet said, sticking out her tongue. "But I don't think I'll have to worry about wet shorts in SOLDIER!"_

"_Maybe not. But you gotta deal with what comes!"_

_The girl crouched down in front of her friend, frowning. "Yeah… That's what my mom keeps telling me. They're trying to have another kid!"_

_The boy smiled. "I wish I had a little brother or sister! Then I could teach them everything I know!" _

_Juliet hesitated. "Yeah… I guess that would be kinda cool…"_

"_It would be!" He shouted, jumping up. "Instead I just have to teach YOU everything I know!"_

"_And then when I turn 13, We can go join SOLDIER together!"_

_The black haired boy looked away. "I have to tell you something, Juliet."_

"_W-what?" she asked, a cold feeling creeping into her stomach._

"_I can't wait anymore. I have to go join SOLDIER soon. I'm leaving tomorrow."_

"_B-but I thought your parents said you couldn't go until you were sixteen!"_

"_That's too long!" He said passionately. "It takes years to become a SOLDIER! You have to work your way up! But mark my words, when you come join me, I'll be Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1__st__ Class! I'll help you work your way up too Jewls! You'll be 1__st__ Class with me! And together, we'll be the greatest SOLDIERs ever! Better than Sephiroth!"_

_Juliet looked at her friend sadly. "B-but I'll miss you! And who will I train with?"_

"_Don't worry! You'll be fine! You'll find someone to train with! Just work hard, and then we'll be in SOLDIER together! Promise!" Zack crouched and looked into her downcast face. "Don't be so sad! Now come on! Cheer up and let's train!"_

_Juliet picked up her metal pipe, looking over at her smiling friend. "Alright." She said, forcing a smile._

_**I shouldn't have let you go.**_

* * *

><p><em>Beep Beep Beep<em>

Rufus Shinra sat up, smacking his alarm clock. 4:45

His room was large but sparsely decorated. He had come to realize when he was young that he couldn't sleep with a lot of distractions in the room. The walls were a dark blue, matching the carpet. Navy colored drapes covered the windows, blocking out all the light from outside. His bed was at the far end of the room, where he preferred it. Next to the bed was a small nigh stand with his alarm clock, and that was it. At the other end of the room was a large walk-in closet where he kept his clothes and anything of… sentimental value, although that wasn't much.

Rufus stood up, pulling on a t-shirt and made his way towards the door. After showing Juliet her room the previous night, he had realized he hadn't told her what time to get up. But he hadn't wanted to disturb her after keeping her so long filling out paperwork. So he had just set his alarm for 15 minutes early.

The thin man made his way down the dark halls of the mansion to the second floor. His room was on the top floor. He always lived on the top floor and had every office on the top floor. It showed power and dominance.

Rufus stopped outside of Juliet's door at the foot of the stairs and stretched. Then he carefully opened the door and stepped in.

He winced as hid tired eyes were met by the blinding light of the ceiling lamp in the far corner of the room. Juliet lay on top of the covers of her bed, in shorts and a tank top. She was hugging a stuffed moogle and had a disturbed look on her face.

"No!" she muttered. "No, please, don't go! Don't take him. I'll pay you back! I don't want to help!"

Rufus frowned as she continued to whimper, her legs twitching occasionally. "Juliet?" he said softly, nudging her.

She shot up, grabbing his wrist and twisting it. The blonde man cried out in pain.

"Oh! Oh shit! Oh I'm so sorry!" she cried, letting go of his wrist and jumping up. "I- It's just… Reflexes? You know?"

Rufus held back a smile and nodded, rubbing his wrist. "I understand. Were you okay? You were talking in your sleep."

"Oh, oh yeah! Just a… A weird dream. Do I need to get ready?" She asked, quickly changing the subject.

Rufus narrowed his eyes, looking at her. He was suspicious. That had not been a weird dream. That had been an all-out nightmare. But he said nothing, instead he just nodded as he turned to leave.

"Be ready to leave by six."

* * *

><p>Juliet frowned at the door where Rufus had just been standing. His face was so impassive. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, or what he had heard.<p>

_Relax! If he had heard anything, he would've said something! STOP STRESSING JULIET!_

The gunblade wielder took a deep breath, walking to her closet and pulling out a suit. She groaned inwardly as she walked to the bathroom to shower. She didn't want to wear a tie. Reno didn't wear a tie, maybe she could get away with it.

Juliet turned on the water for the shower, waiting until the steam filled the room and stepped in. She loved showers. It was like the water washing away the previous day. Like, the her from yesterday was being washed down the drain.

* * *

><p>When she finished her shower, she quickly dressed and went downstairs to the dining hall. Rufus was already there, eating toast. The dining room was white, like the President's office. The only thing not white, were the onyx dishes on the table.<p>

Rufus glanced up from his toast and nodded to her. She sat down quietly, reaching over to one of the large plates, helping herself to some toast and scrambled eggs. She had been sitting there for a few moments, when Rufus finally spoke.

"Do you always sleep with the light on?" He asked impassively, taking a sip of orange juice.

Juliet bit her lip, looking down at her plate. "N-no, I just…. I fell asleep with it on last night."

She glanced up at Rufus. She thought she had seen a flicker of disbelief in his eyes, but if she had, they had quickly returned to their normal unreadable blue.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the new Shinra building, the Turks were already there.<p>

"What's up?" Reno said, falling into step with Juliet. "How was the first night at the Shinra mansion? Lonely?"

The purple haired woman frowned at him. "Are you ever going to stop hitting on me?"

The Turk grinned. "I'm not! Actually, I met someone last night! I'm having a light friendly conversation with a co-worker."

"Oh really?"

"Yes! And, turns out she's a cousin of Strife! Win, Win, Win!"

Juliet raised an eyebrow. "And how does that work?"

"Well," Reno began, pressing the button for Level 8 on the elevator. "You don't get hit on anymore, I get a girlfriend, and best of all, when he finds out, it will piss Strife off!"

"Win, Win, Win." Rude said from the back of the elevator, a smile on his usually straight face.

The bodyguard laughed. "Sounds excellent!" she said, tripping out of the elevator.

* * *

><p>Rufus sat down behind his desk, Juliet taking her place behind him, and the Turks across from him.<p>

"We have a lot of work to do today." He began, pulling a folder out of his desk. "I was thinking, these assasins we keep running in- Oh, Juliet, this is the wrong folder, could you go get the correct on from the filing cabinet in the Turk office? The AVALANCHE one?"

His bodyguard looked at him oddly. "Sure." She said, walking out of the room.

When she left, Rufus leaned forward. "I want you four to look into her. Find out everything you can about her past. Got it?"

The Turks exchanged looks, but nodded in response, saying nothing as Juliet walked back in the room. She handed Rufus the folder and he continued.

"These assassins, they have all been wearing red sashes correct?" He flipped through the AVALANCHE file, and pulled out a picture of the group, "AVALANCHE wore their red armbands. Maybe they're connected."

Tseng nodded. "Makes sense. Do we go question them?"

The President nodded. "Rude, Reno, you're with me, Tseng, Elena, you take care of the other missions I have assigned you."

"Yes, sir." The Turks said unanimously.

* * *

><p>Rufus, Juliet and the Turks arrived at 7th Heaven about an hour later. The sign outside the building said they were closed, but to Shinra, there was no such thing as closed. They walked inside, ignoring the sign and went to the counter. Rufus sat down, Juliet, Rude and Reno standing behind him.<p>

"Hello?" Reno called. "Anyone here, yo?"

They could hear footsteps upstairs, moving around. After a few minutes, Cloud and Tifa emerged.

"Rufus Shinra?" Cloud said confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask some questions." Rufus said nonchalantly.

The spikey haired man frowned. "What?"

"Has AVALANCHE, reformed?"

"You mean that group with the red sashes?" Tifa said, pulling out glasses and filling them with water, and offering them to the group.

Rufus accepted the water, taking a small sip and nodded. "Yes. Them."

"No." Cloud said coldly. "Now please leave."

The Shinra president took another sip of water and set it on the counter, standing up. "If you hear anything about them, please let me kn-"

_BAM!_

Everyone jumped as a huge flaming ball broke through the wall of 7th Heaven, landing in the middle of the room.

"Sir!" Juliet shouted, grabbing his arm. "Behind the counter!"

She drew her weapon, dragging Rufus behind the counter in the process.

_BAM!_

Another flame burst into the bar.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I stopped it there because it's like, 3 AM and I'm exhausted. Sorry for getting a little lazy towards the middle there. =P Hahaha So, I hope you enjoyed! Please review! Also, to anyone coming over from Storm, I was going to make this a sequel, but it was just too hard, so I gave up. = hahaha**

**Anyway, Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Juliet peered over the countertop, assessing the situation. Two flaming heaps were embedded in the floor; Cloud, Rude, and Reno were making carefully making their way outside, weapons drawn. She looked around behind them, and noticed a backdoor with a couple of barrels in front of it.

"This way, sir." She said, grabbing Rufus's arm and leading him towards the back. Tifa crept up behind them, Denzel and Marlene close behind, and helped Juliet move the barrels. "Where does this lead?" Juliet asked in a hushed tone.

"Just into the back alley. But my car is parked back there." Tifa said quietly as she unlocked the door.

The violet haired woman readied her gunblade and peered into the alley. A man dressed in black with a red sash stood at the exit. Tifa's car was right next to the door. She looked up, no one on the roofs, no one in the windows of the building next door. Juliet quietly stepped out into the alley, and pointed her gunblade at the man.

_Bang!_

The man collapsed and lay motionless on the pavement.

"In the car! Hurry!" She said, motioning for Rufus to come. He was followed by Denzel, Marlene, and finally Tifa. Juliet climbed into the driver's seat, taking the keys Tifa had handed her, and turned on the engine. Then, gunning it, blazed out of the alley.

_Bang! Bang Bang Bang!_

Rapid gunfire was aimed in their direction. Out of the corner of her eye, Juliet could see the Turks and Cloud fighting several of the large men with red sashes.

"Interesting." Rufus said from the back seat.

"What?" Denzel asked from next to him.

Not seeming to realize he was talking to a child, Rufus continued. "Odd that they would attack in broad daylight isn't it? Bold. Especially a place that is well known to be the home of one of the best fighters on Gaia."

Tifa whirled around in her seat, glaring at Rufus. "What are you suggesting Shinra?"

"Nothing." Rufus said, taken aback by the bartender's sudden hostility. "I'm merely pointing out that it's odd. Don't you think? I mean, this place is in the center of town."

Tifa thought for a moment. "Yeah. That is odd."

"Daddy says people do stupid things when they're desperate." Marlene piped up from the back seat. "Maybe they're desperate for something."

Juliet blanched. "W-what would they be after? That's ridiculous! Maybe they thought Cloud would be gone! M-maybe what? Who would they.. That's ridiculous." She stuttered.

"I thought they were after Mr. Shinra." Marlene said confused at the woman's sudden outburst.

Juliet suddenly relaxed, turning the corner onto the road to the Shinra building. "Oh. Right." She muttered. "They're after the President. The President!"

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the building, Rufus pointed towards the garden behind the building, telling Marlene and Denzel they could play there. Then, led by Juliet and Tifa, he made his way up to his office.<p>

"Sir!" When they arrived at Level 8, Elena came rushing down the hall towards them. "Sir, we found something on… That thing you said to research."

Rufus gave a sideways glance at his body guard, and nodded. "My office. Juliet, Tifa, if you'll excuse me for a moment."

He followed the Turk to his office and closed the door. Tseng was there waiting, hold a file in his hand, which he immediately handed over to Rufus.

"We couldn't find much." Tseng began. "Mostly all we found, was that she isn't from Nibelheim as she previously stated, but Gongaga. Also, she owes some pretty nasty people a lot of gil."

"How much?" Rufus asked.

"All together, about 100,000." Elena answered him.

The blonde man nodded. "Find out who she owes it to and pay it off. I can't have people after her when she's protecting me. Any idea why she needed so much gil?"

"She was trying to buy something from someone. We aren't sure what. All the money went to a single person."

"Who?"

"Well, it was obviously a fake name, John Smith. When we tried to trace his account, it was a dead end. Juliet would deposit the money, immediately after, someone would come withdraw it." Tseng said, pointing out the paper with the information on it.

"I see. And no idea why she was doing this?"

"No, sir. Her life is actually pretty off the map."

Rufus nodded. "Go to Wutai. She said she worked there, see if you can find anything out there."

"Yes, sir." The Turks said in unison.

"Oh, where are Reno and Rude? And why is the bartender here?" Elena asked looking slightly confused.

"We were attacked at 7th Heaven. Juliet, Tifa, the orphans and I escaped out the back door."

Elena's mouth formed a silent "o".

"Is um… Rude, Is he okay?"

Rufus held back a smile. He was almost positive Elena and Rude had been seeing each other for quite some time. He never brought it up however. He left that to Reno. "I'm sure he's fine." He replied reassuringly. Then, feeling a bit devious he added, "Would you like him to call you to confirm he isn't missing any limbs or… other parts?"

Elena blushed a deep shade of red and shook her head. "N-no sir! I just- I-" She said, struggling to form words.

Tseng and the President exchanged knowing glances, both holding back smiles.

"Send in Juliet and Tifa on your way out please." He said, going to sit behind his desk. A few minutes later the two walked in.

"What was wrong with Elena?" His bodyguard asked, sitting down across from the President. "She looked like her head was about to explode."

Rufus smiled slightly. "Nothing, just a bit of a joke at her expense."

Tifa looked at him, eyebrow raised, "Rufus Shinra makes jokes?"

The ghost of a smile faded from the President's face. "Only if the situation warrants it Ms. Lockhart."

Just then, the door to the office burst open and in walked Reno, looking cocky as ever, followed closely by Could and Rude.

"Totally showed those little bitches who was boss!" Reno said grinning as he took the seat Tifa had just abandoned to give Cloud a hug. He put his feet on the desk, but quickly took them down when Rufus gave him a glare as cold as ice.

"Found these on them." Rude said, throwing a paper bag on the glass desk.

"Excellent." The President said, opening the bag to examine the contents. "Oh, Rude, Elena would like you to-"

"Ran into her on the way in." The Turk said quickly, ducking his head in embarrassment.

Rufus nodded, inwardly smiling as he dumped the contents on his desk. Two ID badges, a cell phone, and a wallet.

"LIGHT? What's that?" Reno asked, snatching up one of the ID badges. "Leading In a Greater Hope for Tomorrow? That doesn't even make sense yo! It should be… GTBKBS. Or… RWKYA. Now those are names!"

"Let me guess," Rude said from the corner of the room, "Going To Be Killed By Shinra and….. wait let me think… Reno Will Kick Your Ass?"

Juliet laughed and looked at Reno. "Is he right?"

"Damn right! Of course I'll kick their asses! Or their collective ass. Bastards don't stand a chance."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Who are they?" he asked, looking over Juliet's shoulder and the items.

"Reno, take this cell phone down the Level 4. I want to know every phone call and text message that has ever been sent from this phone."

"Got it." The redhead said and began to leave the room. He was almost out when he whirled around. "Oh, sir, can I get off an hour early tonight? Got a date!" The Turk winked at Juliet.

"Who do you have a date with Reno?" Juliet asked animatedly, taking the hint.

"Her name is Rayne." He said, grinning at the woman with the purple eyes.

Rufus ignored all of this and waved his hand. "Yes. Be in by 7 tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." He said, a devious look on his face. "Hey Cloud."

The spikey haired man glanced up from the ID he was examining. "Huh?"

"Tell your cousin I'll pick her up at 6." And he took off down the hall.

A confused crossed his face, and then it registered. "SON OF A BITCH!" he shouted, taking off after Reno. They could hear Reno laughing down the hall as Cloud chewed him out.

* * *

><p>A couple hours later, Juliet and Rufus sat alone in his office.<p>

"Your debts have all been paid." Rufus said, reading over a note he had found in the wallet of one of the assassins. "This note seems to be in code."

The girl looked at him, eyes wide. "H-how did you find out about that?"

A ghost of a smile came across the President's face. "I know everything."

Juliet's face paled. "E-everything?"

Rufus pretended he didn't notice and continued to examine the note. "Maybe it's in another language."

_Chill Juliet. All he knows about is your debt. If he knew about the other stuff, he would've….._ She didn't want to think about what he would've done. So she took after the President and pretended nothing had happened.

"Let me see." She said, reaching across the desk, knocking over a glass of water and a pen holder in the process.

"Shit!" Rufus said, as the note became smeared as water seeped into it. "Damnit! Now it-"

He stopped. The ink was washing away, but it was embedding itself in dents in the paper, writing a new note.

**Asa to be delivered to new home. Don't confront anymore. Too risky with Turks. Wait till next meeting. Deliver ultimatum. -LIGHT**

Rufus glanced up at Juliet. Her face was white as the carpet in his office. She tapped on the desk anxiously. He could see there were a million thoughts going through her head.

"Something wrong?" he asked, watching her face carefully.

"What? No, no. nothing . Nothing is wrong I'm fine. Why would there be something wrong? Everything is okay."

Rufus frowned, but said nothing, instead he read the note over again. "Asa. Is that a name I wonder?"

"Yes! Of course it's a name!"

The President raised an eyebrow.

"I've heard it before is all. When I lived in Nibelheim."

"I see."

"Common name."

"Uh huh."

Juliet frowned at his impassive face. She couldn't tell if he believed her. But she seemed convincing. Although, that was in her own mind. She could convince herself of anything. Other people however, she was never sure.

"Gongaga." Rufus said.

"W-what?" Juliet said startled.

The President held up the ID's. "These men are from Gongaga. We'll start there."

_Now she looks worried._ Rufus thought, hiding back the look of satisfaction that was threatening to take over his face. _We'll find out what secrets you're hiding then._

* * *

><p><strong>Okay you guys, sorry there SO much dialogue. Haha I'm having a little trouble transitioning into the main plot. Haha so there's a lot of talking. But I'll work it out! Just bear with me!<strong>

**And sorry this chap was kinda short. =P**

**Also, I'm going to a friend's house for 4****th**** of July, So I might not update until Wednesday. But I'll try to update tomorrow if I don't go anywhere. As, always, Review! =]**


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